Every time you access your phone via fingerprint reader, you’re using biometric identification technology. So, while biometrics on the consumer side has become commonplace, a number of barriers have blocked widespread biometric adoption in the enterprise.

According to ABI Research, the majority of revenues in most biometric recognition technology categories today come from government entities, with fingerprint recognition the most commonly used biometric recognition method. Other major technologies are palm prints, handwriting, iris, retina and voice/speaker.

Windsor Holden

But for the most part, enterprises are staying away from biometrics as a means of providing security. “There seems to be very little usage outside highly sensitive arenas such as military or airport personnel access,” says Windsor Holden, research director at Juniper Research.